Wailua Kayak Adventures

All the five star reviews for this company are deserved, I’d just be repeating all the great comments about this experience! The owners are extremely nice and accommodating and Cole, our guide, made the trip a memorable experience. I can’t wait to return next year!

This is a great starting point for any level adventurer and it basically combines 3 activities in one for a low price, even lower if you pay in cash like we did!
At $ 40 each person it’s quite an awesome deal for about 4 – 4.5 hours! First you get to kayak (the preferred is two people per double kayak but they do have individual kayaks too). Then you get to hike to the Secret Waterfall which is a relatively easy hike with a small river to cross and finally swim in a pool of beautiful water from a huge waterfall high above!
I’d probably give this a 4.5 stars just because it’s a fun activity to do with friends or in my case my hubby. The people in our trip ranged from young teens to people in their 60’s! The weather was gorgeous and I’d highly recommend going at the 7am time because our group was the first ones to the waterfall! By the time we got back to where we left the kayaks it was crazy how many groups had shown up!
I’m probably being petty but I’m knocking ½ a star off because I felt out tour guide (Judah) could have been more engaging only because I saw some other guides who appeared more enthusiastic in interacting with their groups and providing more information about the landscape and history. He did provide hiking sticks which were nice and talked about his life which… was informative!
Can’t forget TeeAnn and David (owners) who were so awesome and sweet. It was fun talking to her (TeeAnn) as she drove our carload to the boat dock! David had the other group. In total there were 11 of us.
I’d highly recommend this place don’t let the first glance of the location fool you. They know what they’re doing!
Points to remember:
–ask to pay in cash! Discounts!
–go early like 7am it’s so serene and not as hot as pm
–sunscren, hat, go pro/​camera, towels and decent
water shoes (mine were from Walmart and they worked only $ 12!) (PS –White shoes not recommended there’s a lot of mud, rain or no rain)
–they provided a dry (big) bag to keep our stuff dry as well as a zip lock for my beloved iPhone
–Tip your tour guide, after all if I were doing that job. I’d appreciate a tip too… it ain’t an easy job!

We had soooo much fun on our kayak/​hike adventure to Secret Falls! Eden was our guide, and he could not have been better — super nice, really engaging, and knows a ton about the surrounding plants. He even providing walking sicks for us, which I don’t think the other companies provide (at least not the ones we passed that day).
Kayaking was super relaxing, but once we got to the pullout where the hiking portion begins, it started to rain, and then pour. By the time we got to the falls we were completely soaked, but it added to the adventure.
Crossing back over the river was a little more treacherous the second time, but Eden was there to help us through. Overall this was an amazing experience — the price was right and the group was small, and I would highly recommend this activity and company to anyone.
Thanks so much for making our last day on Kauai so amazing!

This is the only tour we have repeated in our 5 visits to Kauai. Cole was our guide both times and was awesome both times. I can’t recommend this enough to those looking for a small group tour and wonderful family that runs this business. Thank you!

We went on the 1PM Wailua Kayak /​Secret Falls hiking trip with Kathleen as our guide. The trip itself is very doable for anyone in decent athletic shape. My parents, who are in their early 60’s, struggled a bit with the hiking, but made it through ok. Definitely wear good hiking shoes and wear bug spray.
Kathleen was a wonderful guide, and a very sweet person. She displayed genuine passion for the island, kept our group safe, and made the tour especially interesting with her tidbits of knowledge about the island. Highly recommend this adventure to anyone looking to get away from the beach for a day and into the rain forest!

Laid back friendly staff. No fuss got our gear and left. Even though we were technically tourists they treated us fine. Would recommend this place for anyone wanting to get the gear and go. We did a self guided rental.

Awesome company. Great value for kayak rental.
We did the double kayak rental and got a map and guidance on getting to secret falls on our own.

My husband and I took a kayak tour with Judah today and it was definitely an adventure to remember!
Booking: Very easy by giving them a call. If you email them, you’ll still have to call them to confirm and provide a credit card # to hold your spot.
Price: Awesome value — $ 90 total for you and your paddle buddy! Can’t beat that!
Our 7am tour with Judah was great — perfect before all the crowds arrived. It was a perfect day to kayak through the Wailua River (about a 45 min kayak). Then you hike through to get to the falls (1 mile). Make sure to wear shoes that can get wet and muddy, & has good grip. I was wearing Keen water shoes which were perfect.
Today was pretty muddy and very slippery (hiking sticks were provided and very useful). Judah did a very good job making sure we were safe and giving us a heads us up if we needed to be aware of anything (ledges, slippery areas, inclines etc). Getting to the falls, and swimming in was amazing! Keep your water shoes on because there are a lot of rocks in there. It’s about 3 feet deep (left-​middle about 4 feet) so it’s a fun and easy swim.
Few things that were provided:
— wet bag to put any belongings you want to take with you
— snacks for when you arrive to the waterfall (the Secret Falls)
— walking stick (very helpful & very happy it was provided)
Other
— you can buy water at their office before the tour
— don’t forget to tip the guides!
This was a great experience, and we’re so happy we were able to include this on our visit to Kauai. I would definitely do it again!
Joy & Justin (San Diego)

Kathleen was amazing! She speaks bird! No joke. She said she knew this one adorable black bird with a white heart tail and when she called it over, it came to her and she dragged a stick on the wet dirt to bring out the bugs to feed the bird. So incredible to watch. So happy she was our guide today.
Anywho… I’ve never been kayaking before and this was so much fun. Yes, my husband and I were exhausted by the end but it was something we really wanted to do. Took us a while to get the hang of kayaking. We crashed into everything at first, it was comical.
Compared to the other hikes we’ve done on this island, the hike to the secret falls was very easy. It had rained quite a bit yesterday so the hike was extra muddy. Slipped a lot but it was still enjoyable. You will get muddy and you will get wet. My shoes were soaked beginning to end. The water falls was pretty chilly
Tip: be prepared and know your limits. We had a couple people slip and fall, they were not prepared for this adventure (jeans and flip flops) and one of them actually turned around. Also, walking sticks are your knees’ best friends.

The tour itself was great — give it a four or five. Our guide Cole was very interesting and well-​versed in the local culture and history. Only real complaint (and it is more about style than substance) was about the office and owners. Our guide seemed genuinely glad to be working with us, but the mom and pop owners seemed like they could do without the tourist. they asked whether we were happy, comfortable, etc. but I’m guessing they didn’t really care either way…
on the positive side, the price is significantly less than others. They don’t serve lunch, but do bring high-​quality snacks, which was fine considering that we finished at noon. I’d rather spend the extra $ 70 on our on good lunch than them provide something substandard. kayaks seemed to be in good condition and all had high-​quality back rests…

Cole was great and so was the tour. Equipment was good and the price of $ 80 for a couple (cash) is the best value anywhere. Don’t forget to tip your guide, he didn’t even ask but definitely deserved one. Highly recommend. Thanks to the staff from Oklahoma!

Rented kayaks to head to Secret Falls on our own. Loved that it’s a family business — the owners were so helpful! Cheap prices too. They set us up for a fun trip, providing everything we needed and some kayaking trips.
Would 100% rent from them again.

we knew we wanted to do kayaking while on kauai, and since we didnt plan ahead and book something before we left we had to wait and hope we would be able to rent a double kayak the day of. my bf called and left a message with wailua kayak adventures, and they called us the next morning and said if we could be there before 10, they would have a kayak for us! we were greeted by the owners (i cant remember their names) and were able to head into the office to fill out paperwork and go through a basic «tutorial» i guess you can call it. we did the self guided tour. we were given a map and awesome instructions about where we could and couldnt paddle. and some things to see a long the way while on the river! getting to the area to unload the kayak was simple, but of course my bf got lost. lol. once we figured out where we were going we pulled into the park, unloaded the kayak and were on our way down the river. there were hardly and kayakers on the river. paddling to the hike for the waterfall was easy, and even the hike wasnt bad.
we were able to keep the kayak until 5 or 5:30 (cant remember) but we returned it a little after 3! the owners were awesome and super sweet. very knowledgeable about the area and it was nice to patronize a local family owned business! they price for the kayak, back rests, dry bag, soft roof rack and ties was very affordable! i would def rent from then again!
thank you so much!

Judaa was our guide and if just for him this would have been a five star review. He was courteous, very safe, knowledgeable, friendly, happy, looked out for all members of the group!
The downside of this review is:
1) They ask for credit card information when booking that the owners later shared that they only use as a confirmation code handwritten in a book that they keep. From a confidentiality standpoint this is a concern for us.
2) Dave one of the owners was very short in the morning when we started. He was nicer when he picked us up but what a rough start to an activity as a paying customer

One of the most fun things we did in Kauai! Cole was a great guide! It was a beautiful!
Pro tips: Wear water shoes with good soles. The trail is muddy. Not too much up hill but if someone is not very sure footed it might be a tough hike. Totally worth it to get to the waterfall though! Also wear your swimsuit and bring a towel so you can swim in the waterfall. The water is chilly but surprisingly warmer directly under the waterfall! Wear bug spray! Book the morning tour, it’s the best way to start your day!

Our group of friends had a wonderful time with this tour company. We chose to do the early morning tour and we didn’t regret that decision as we were able to swim at the waterfall without any crowds. Our guide, Cole, was informative and provided some great laughs as he guided us up the river and lead us through the jungle to the waterfall.
Pricing was very fair given the amount of time we got to spend on the river and at the water fall along with all the equipment they provide. You are provided a dry bag to carry your possessions with you during the entire tour. You will definitely need to have a pair of shoes you are willing to get dirty in as you’ll be hiking through the jungles once you’ve parked your kayak.
Pro Tip: Wailua Kayak Adventures provides used shoes from previous adventurers to those that either didn’t bring a pair of water shoes or looking to not get their own pair dirty. They have more women’s shoe than men shoes when I was last there.

If you are visiting Kauai this is a must! I can’t stress what an amazing experience we had! It started with meeting at the main house in Kappa. I came with water shoes, clothes I wouldn’t mind getting dirty or wet, and some water. They provided us with water proof bags for our stuff, shoes for those that need it, hiking sticks, and snacks.
They drove us to the start of the river where we loaded up on our double kayaks. Our tour guide Kathleen was awesome! She was so informative and fun. She even let us use her coconut oil which prevented me from getting a single mosquito bite.
We kayaked the 2 miles through a beautiful river lined with lush trees. It was raining during this time, but it didn’t put a damper on our moods. I am no professional kayaker. The last time I even kayaked was over 10 years ago, but this was totally do able.
We got to the mountain where our hike began and parked our kayaks. We were given walking sticks, which I am now a convert of and can’t imagine doing the hike without it. Kathleen guided us through rush terrain and rivers till we got to the waterfall. One of the rivers was pretty deep but there is rope to help you get through it. It was 3 feet that day, but changes depending on the rain.
At the end of the 1 mile hike was a beutiful waterfall. The water was colder than I thought, but I was still able to get into the water even though it was only for a few minutes.
We snacked on granola bars, chips, and fig cookies, while Kathleen educated us on trees, animals, fruits, and all things Kauai. She even picked us some delicious java plums from the trees we kayaked next to.
My bf and I agreed this was the best thing we did during our trip. It was breathtaking, a good work out, and very informative. Plus for $ 80/​couple it can’t be beat. Do it!

A peaceful, entertaining, beautiful and knowledge filled trip. Joe is wonderful all the way around.
Come see us in the ATX, Joe!
This kayak trip is a must go! Everyone there was amazing.
Mahalo y’all!

What amazing morning we had with our guide Kathleen!
I can’t recommend this adventure enough. Kayaking was fun (my first time) and hiking through the beautiful scenery really puts you in the Aloha spirit. The waterfall is an amazing treat for all your hard work.
Wear water shoes, put your phone in a Life Proof case, bring water, and plan on having fun! They provide waterproof bags, they’re big! Kathleen was so passionate about the island, the birds and trees love her. She even held my hand and we went through the massive waterfall! Wow was that powerful and awesome! David gave us a ride to and from the marina, he was friendly and knowledgeable. All in all 5 stars!!! Great experience for the cost.

My husband and I went on a tour with Wailua Kayak Adventures over Memorial day weekend. We went on the 7 am tour and we were so glad we did because NO ONE else was at the falls when our small group arrived. And when we left, there wZ Bout 100 people there.
This is a family-​owned small business operation, and I liked that very much. The owners are very nice, and at $ 85/​couple ($ 90 if paying with credit card), it is the best priced tour of Sacred Falls.
Judah was our guide and he was excellent! Very friendly and knowledgeable.
I also liked he fact that the company provided us with hiking sticks, which proved to be very helpful during our hike. I did not consider the kayak trip or hike overly difficult (and I am largely out of shape and very unathletic). Though not a difficult hike, the terrain was really muddy and quite narrow and slippery in some parts, so the hiking sticks definitely helped.
I saw other tour companies on our way back down. They did not provide their patrons with hiking sticks, BUT the guides did play the ukeleles on the way up. Uhmm no thanks. I’d rather have my hiking stick. Way more necessary than music. LOL
Tips:
–wear the right shoes. this does NOT mean flip flops. water sandals, hiking boots would work. I saw a bunch of people 2 minutes into the hike with no shoes because they decided to wear flip flops. Fail.
–pay in cash for $ 5 discount
–take the early morning 7 am tour. you will not be disappointed.
–go IN for a swim! the water is cold at first but quite nice after a while.